Archive for March, 2012

DAVAO CITY — The Davao City Government in its 75th Araw ng Dabaw celebration conferred the Datu Bago award to an entrepreneur and two educators for their outstanding service that has contributed to the growth and development of the city.

The three awardees were cited for having served as a model of excellence and an inspiration to the Dabawenyos and for demonstrating exemplary competence and dedication to help achieve city’s development.

The conferment of Datu Bago award is among the highlights of the annual celebration of Araw ng Dabaw.

Datu Bago Award is the most prestigious and highest award to be given by Davao City to a resident in recognition of his or her achievements.

Dulce Saavedra, one of the awardees, said in her speech in behalf of the recipients that she was overwhelmed with joy of the award. “I thank God and People for the award.”

Saavedra said what is more significant of being a recipient of the award is the “feeling of fulfillment, great satisfaction and deep gratitude to God and people and above all there is humility.”

She said she was tempted to be proud but she humbled herself, “because I was not expecting that whatever little contribution I was able to give some 55 years will warrant such recognition and honor.”

“I am 83 years old and much of my life is behind me now. God will give me bonus years to continue serving God and people,” she said.

She added that her commitment is to continue running the race for service to God and people.

Saavedra is an educator and the regional director of the Girl Scout of the Philippines (GSP), a distinguished member of GSP in Davao Region. She is a Golden Jubilee Awardee of the GSP.

She dedicated the best 50 years of her life to Girl Scouting. A pillar of GSP, she is the force behind the growth of the organization not only in the Davao region but in the entire Mindanao.

The 83-year-old GSP pillar is being honored for her significant contribution to the development of the five-hectare Camp Alano in Daliao, Toril, Davao City.

Under her leadership, the camp was transformed from a fledging campsite into a beautiful training center for Eastern Mindanao that has become a famous Davao City’s landmark that serves as a training ground for more than 100,000 girls and women leaders all over the country.

The other awardee, Enrica Ongchua Babao, an educator, real estate developer, lessor, and a present chair of the Board of Trustee of the Davao Historical Society Foundation Inc. for almost two decades.

Babao is also a multi-awarded individual from various award-giving bodies both here and abroad. She is an active philanthropist and donor of historical and cultural artifacts to the Museo Dabawenyo.

She is recognized for her invaluable contribution in the preservation of Davao’s rich cultural heritage and her tireless advocacy promoting Davao’s indigenous culture and on popularizing the city’s history among the youth.

She has also developed and maintained various historical makers in Davao City, notably the Golden Kris Memorial Monument.

Linda Coronel Tesoro, is an entrepreneur who runs one of the most productive companies in Davao Region and in the whole country based on the National Productivity Council. Aside from being an entrepreneur, Tesoro is a multi-awarded humanitarian and civic leader. She broke many barriers for women not only in Davao City, but in the entire country.

She is a recipient of the prestigious Aurora Aragon Quezon Award, the highest award given to an individual Red Cross volunteer for her significant contribution to the promotion of the Red Cross mission and to community service.

She is a Rotary International Service Above Self awardee, the highest recognition given to an individual Rotarian who has rendered exemplary humanitarian service.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio bestowed the award to the awardees during a ceremony Thursday night at the Royal Mandaya Hotel, attended by the city’s top officials, religious and civic leaders.

The award is an accolade for persons of any nationality, living or dead, born in Davao City or who have been residents of the city for at least 10 years.

Duterte-Carpio, in her message during Thursday night’s conferment, said the three women made significant contributions to the city that help propel the city’s growth.

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MAGSAYSAY, Davao del Sur – Residents of Davao del Sur suffer most the brunt of the power deficiency, especially that brownouts seem to be more often that the scheduled ones by the Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (DASURECO).

In this town alone, the scheduled weekly brownout on Wednesday that was supposed to start at 6 p.m. happened as early as 4:30 p.m. and lasted for over three hours. Not only that, the brownout again happened the following day, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Business establishment owners and even ordinary residents were pointing fingers at Dasureco for not announcing earlier the supposed brownout so that they can still have the time to prepare to avoid back jobs and work-related priorities.

The Dasureco is scheduling a rotating brownout at least once a week in selected areas all over the province after the National Power Corporation announced an acute shortage of power supply coming from its hydroelectric plants resulting to power generation deficiency in Mindanao Grid.

The situation reportedly prompted the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to resort to power load curtailment of electric cooperatives in Mindanao, including Dasureco.

According to Godofredo Guya, Dasureco general manager, the rotating brownouts may extend beyond 9 p.m. or not affect all of the areas specified in the schedule depending upon the advice of NGCP.

“Should there be new developments in the generation deficiency the public will be duly notified through written noticies and mass media,” Guya said in a public announcement last month.

But he failed to explain the successive brownouts in Magsaysay since it did not happen to other areas of the province. (ASA)

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DAVAO CITY — Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño has commended Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte and the City Council for declaring the city a no mining zone, saying this showed that local officials had the political will to uphold the interest of the environment and their constituents despite the pressure and intense lobby of the mining corporations.

“I commend Mayor Duterte and the city council of Davao for taking this bold step for the environment. Not all local officials have the guts to go against the rich and powerful mining companies. I likewise express support for other local government units now being castigated by mining companies for prohibiting mining operations in their localities,” he said.

Casiño, who is in Davao City to celebrate with Davaoeños the 75th Araw ng Dabaw, is the author of House Bill 4726 which seeks to close areas declared by local government units (LGUs) as No-Mining Zones from mining applications and operations, amending for the purpose the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

Along with fellow Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, Casiño also sponsored two resolutions supporting the mining moratoriums declared by the provincial governments of Capiz and Negros Occidental. Both resolutions have been approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources.

“While mining is recognized as one of the main contributors to the country’s gross domestic product, there is a growing resistance to large scale mining in the areas where these operate. Aside from Davao City, communities from different provinces such as Capiz, Marinduque, Palawan, Romblon, Negros Occidental, Eastern Samar, South Cotabato and Zamboanga del Norte have passed local ordinances declaring a ban on mining operations and/or a moratorium on applications. The communities in host provinces are the ones directly affected by mining operations and therefore have the right to be heard,” the progressive solon said.

“Being an extractive industry, mining poses great threats to our fragile environment. Local government units must be given the right to do what is best for the environment. Our bill seeks to do that by including among the areas closed for mining applications areas declared by local government units as no-mining zones. It also prohibits mining in prime agricultural lands as well as areas containing cultural properties,” he stressed.

“The national government and mining companies should respect and recognize local government ordinances banning mining operations in their respective territories. This is in keeping with the country’s laws and in recognition of the LGUs’ role to protect and preserve the environment and the people’s welfare,” the lawmaker added.

“There is a need to respect the prerogative of local government units to declare areas under their jurisdiction as no mining zones. By recognizing their role in the protection and preservation of the environment and the country’s natural resources for the present and the future generations, the people will participate more in the decision-making processes of the state,” Casiño ended. (ASA)

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DAVAO CITY – Mayor Sara Z. Duterte has appointed a tourism action man to replace a beleaguered retired colonel to temporarily head the operations of the city’s Central Communications and Emergency Response Center (Central 911).

Duterte said she is entrusting the responsibility to Emmanuel Jaldon, who will act as Central 911’s officer-in-charge, in replacement of Mario Verner Monsanto, who was ordered relieved effective March 12.

She said thay she found in Jaldon the capacity to handle and manage the 911 center, having been a dynamic action officer of the City Tourism Office.

Duterte is also creating a transition team that will be composed of professionals and experts on the fields of disaster management and Information Technology.

She said the main task of the team is to conduct an audit to look into the problems faced by the unit.

Among the consultants that Duterte has hired include Antonio Boquiren and an unnamed lady from the Business Product Outsourcing industry who will act as the city’s consultant for the Central 911’s call center.

Duterte said the transition team has one month to come up with recommendation on how to effectively manage the Central 911 unit.

Monsanto was originally under the City Mayor’s Office even before the creation of the unit in 2002.

Duterte-Carpio said she ordered to recall Monsanto as the City Hall’s security officer.

The mayor said there is no specific unit under the CMO that Monsanto will head.

“Actually, I was expecting him to resign, but he didn’t, so I will recall him instead,” she said.

In an earlier interview, Monsanto said he has nothing against the mayor and vowed he will respect her decision.

He said he is happy in his almost a decade as Central 911 chief. (ASA)

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DAVAO CITY – The supposed intensified month-long implementation of the gun ban in Davao City suffered a big blow following the dismissal of a case filed against a forester who was arrested in a public terminal here.

City Prosecutor Raul Bendigo cited technicality to free Vince Estupito, forester II of the Department of Enviroment and Natural Resources (DENR) based in Lianga, Surigao del Sur, who was arrested at Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) in Ecoland on March 8 for gun possession.

Bendigo said that the arresting police officers of the Talomo police station failed to include a copy of the memorandum order issued by Philippine National Police chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome to declare a month-long gun ban in Davao City from March 1 to 31.

He also said that before implementing the said order, it should still first be published in local newspapers 15 days after its approval.

Estupito’s firearm, a .45 caliber pistol, is said to be licensed and has the permit to carry and letter order.

Supt. Dionisio Abude, chief of Talomo police station, said they already allowed Estupito to go home following his detention at their station.

Abude said Estupito arrived in Davao City on March 6, a day before the gun ban took effect, to attend a seminar.

“He was about to go home on Thursday when authorities assigned at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal found him in possession of firearm that is why he was endorsed to the Talomo precinct,” Abude said. (ASA)

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DAVAO CITY – Three alleged members of a highway robbery group are now the subject of manhunt following the alleged hijacking of a rice-containing 10-wheeler truck on Monday along the highway in Barangay Badiang, Sta. Cruz town in Davao del Sur.

Sr. Insp. Alfredo Santillana, chief of the Sta. Cruz police station, said that they are now closely coordinating with the 39th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army under Lt. Col. Oliver Artuz to track down the suspects who could have go up the mountains to flee.

The three were among the six men who hijacked a 10-wheeler Fuzo truck in Barangay Tagabuli, Sta. Cruz, around 12:15 a.m. Monday. The truck was delivering 520 sacks of rice worth P900,000 from Norala, South Cotabato to Tagum City in Davao del Norte.

But police operatives were immediately alerted of the incident that resulted to a shootout, killing one of the hijacking suspect and the arrest of two others.

The fatality was identified as Dioscoro Omang, while the arrested suspects were identified as Almar Conde alias Curoy, 19, and his brother George Conde, 27, all residents of Barangay Astorga in Sta. Cruz town, Davao del Sur.

The suspects were onboard two motorcycles when they blocked the truck driven by Jimmy Yama, 33, a resident of Norala in South Cotabato. Yama was accompanied by truck helper Loreto Bandi.

Yama said that one of the suspects told them that some of their rice cargo fell, reason why they disembarked to check.

But as the victims went down, four of the six men whipped out guns and tied the two up.

Two of the suspects boarded the truck with the victims who were later dumped at a village in Sta. Cruz.

A follow-up operation by the Davao del Sur Provincial Police Office and the Sta. Cruz Municipal Police led to the whereabouts of three of the six suspects at Sitio Salimoro in Barangay Coronon, Sta. Cruz around 1:30 a.m. Monday.

Recovered from the crime scene were six empty cartridges of a caliber 9mm pistol, three cartridges of a caliber 5.56 pistol, and 1357 Smith and Wesson revolver with four live ammunition, and an empty cartridge.

The two suspects are now in jail while appropriate charges are being prepared by the police for filing in court. (ASA)

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DAVAO CITY – A “habal-habal” (passenger motorcycle) driver almost ran over a young tarsier (Tarsius Syrichta) whie the endangered specie passed by along the road in Barangay Inayangan in Calinan district here on Sunday night.

Benjie Estorco could not immediately determine the kind of animal he almost hit on that night as he was going home and only decided to stop and catch the tiny being.

Bringing along with him the animal, he went straight to the Mintal sub-police station to endorse what he found that turned out to be a tarsier.

The police in turn endorsed the young endangered specie to the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

They live in both secondary and primary forest, from sea level up to 750 meters; fewer in secondary growth with many pole-sized trees and low-stature vegetation, as well as in gardens and habitats including agricultural areas and plantations; feeds on small lizards, frogs, and insec ts.

There is a Philippine law against those who are keeping tarsiers where they can be fined up to P1 million or will be imprisoned from six months to one year in violation of Republic Act 9147, or an Act Providing for the Conservation and Protection of Wildlife Resources. (ASA)